With their joint design, the bidding consortium of engineering firms Grassl, sbp and WTM Engineers, together with gmp and PPL, seeks to create a new Köhlbrand Bridge with the potential to become a landmark – one capable of shaping identity and standing out. The design continues the story of the Köhlbrand Bridge, carrying forward its emotional and technological tradition.
Scaling Harmoniously
Building on the harmonious proportions of the existing Köhlbrand Bridge, the design introduces greater height, longer main and secondary spans, and proportionally enlarged ramp spans in the foreland. Slender structural elements give the enlarged structure a lighter presence, and its growing scale brings with it a greater sense of transparency. From a distance, the delicate foreland supports appear as a fine hatching on the horizon. The superstructure will rise above the silhouette of the harbour cranes – creating a true skyline.
A Glimpse into the Future – First Images of the Design
A Floating Superstructure
With its increased size and slightly adjusted alignment, the new bridge will sit closer to the city, becoming more visible within the urban landscape. The new bridge will reclaim the prominence that the existing bridge enjoyed in 1974. At that time, it stood alone; over the decades, however, the neighboring areas grew and expanded, and large harbour facilities, silos and cranes have been competing for prominence.
The proposed design reinterprets the balanced proportions of the existing Köhlbrand Bridge at a larger scale, with a superstructure that will float above the harbour cranes again, establishing a new bridge line that will shape Hamburg’s skyline.
